An Exceptional Human
by Unbeautifully-Broken
Summary: Decker and the Devil. He should've realized before that she was the answer to a question...just not Lucifer's. Deckerstar.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So I'm depressed there's a 3-week hiatus before the next episode, but previews look WAYY promising, and tonight's episode was the best one in a long time! I've been thinking about a theory for while, but the last two episodes have really made it seem like a possibility to me. I used some of the dialogue from the preview for the next one. I might continue this if people don't think I'm way off, but I don't really know how I'd end it. Let me know what you think in a review!

-:-

An Exceptional Human

Lucifer tossed his phone on his sofa with a grimace. The good doctor wasn't answering her phone. Fair enough. It was two in the morning after all. And he couldn't call Maze; he was quite sure she'd kill him if he asked another favor.

He couldn't be certain how many drinks he'd consumed. After the sixth, they all tasted quite like water and he did have an illustrious collection of booze.

He thought about trying the detective. He half walked, half staggered toward his sofa to retrieve the phone, and reached out...then withdrew his hand. What if she answered, and Pierce was there? At two a.m.? That would heavily imply they'd slept together. If he was being honest with himself, he had been surprised at the detective's admission that she had not slept with her immortal boyfriend. Of course he knew she was a woman who valued her career and she was not likely to fall immediately into bed with her boss, but Cain—Pierce—had millennia to perfect his game.

But so had Lucifer, and he'd never had the pleasure of 'knowing' Chloe in the Biblical sense.

He picked up the phone anyway. It wouldn't unlock when he looked at it—the facial recognition software clearly couldn't discern who he was because of his disheveled appearance. Useless technology.

"Hello, yes. Hello, Siri? Hello?" he said loudly. Nothing happened. He rolled his eyes and tossed his phone over his shoulder. It clattered against the floor.

"Sodding apples. Ruin everything."

He collapsed on the sofa, and tried very hard not to think of the detective on the back of the world's first murderer's motorcycle.

-:-

"Good morning, Decker," Pierce said as he passed by her desk on the way to the kitchenette. Chloe smiled and gave a little wave, her eyes lingering on his back as he walked away. She sneaked a glance at his rear and felt herself blush. Then she realized she had been so busy staring she hadn't said "good morning" back, and blushed harder.

"Who was that, Mommy?" Trixie asked, not looking up from the picture she was doodling.

"Oh, that's—that's Mommy's boss, sweetie. His name is Lieutenant Pierce." Chloe went back to filling out the lengthy paperwork on their last case, thankful again that she wasn't going to have to arrest her former roommate. At least, not for murder...this time.

"Why do you turn so red when you look at him though?" Trixie asked suspiciously.

"Well," Chloe cleared her throat, "he's—uh—you know, why don't I try Olga again? Maybe she'll pick up on the tenth try..."

"Is he mean to you? Does he think you don't do a good job?" Trixie demanded, looking indignant on her mother's behalf. She glared in the direction Pierce had gone, and Chloe got distinct Maze-like vibes.

"No, honey. He's a very good man. He's nice to me." She glanced up; he was headed back her way with two cups of coffee and a crooked smile. She inhaled sharply. He was so damned attractive.

He set one cup of coffee on her desk, then looked at Trixie.

"And you must be the infamous Trixie," he grinned. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma'am." He reached out to shake her hand. Trixie, delighted, offered her own to shake. "May I ask how it happens you're here with us today?"

"I killed a guy. I'm giving a statement," the girl said very seriously. Chloe strangled on a laugh.

"Uh, haha. No. No, uh, there's a power outage at Trixie's school. Lines are down somewhere. I've tried calling my babysitter but she won't pick up—and with Maze gone—"

"Relax, Decker," Pierce said, taking a sip of his coffee. "Trixie's welcome to hang out as long as she likes. Just as long as she promises not to go on a killing spree."

"No guarantees!" Trixie said, smiling and brandishing her colored pencil like a knife.

"Oh, my God. I'm never speaking to Maze again," Chloe sighed, rubbing her temples.

Pierce just looked warmly at her, then shook his head.

"On second thought," he said, picking up the coffee cup he'd sat on Chloe's desk, "maybe you don't need this." He winked at them both, and walked back to the stairs.

Chloe slowly exhaled to calm herself, then tried to focus again on her paperwork. It wasn't long before she felt the distinct sensation of being watched. She cut her eyes sideways to catch her daughter watching her with a smug smile on her face.

"You've got a crush on your boss! And you're red again!" She giggled uncontrollably. Chloe rolled her eyes and tugged playfully on the ends of Trixie's hair.

"Alright, alright. Maybe talk a little louder so they can hear you in Hawaii."

Trixie laughed even louder.

-:-

Lucifer watched the whole exchange from his chair across the room, relatively obscured behind the frosted glass office walls. He didn't hear it all, but he didn't need to. He'd seen enough.

Cain was proving himself to be a spear in Lucifer's side. Of course he knew to truly woo a woman, one must first win over her child. The disgusting depths to which he was going to obtain the one thing Lucifer truly valued...

Well, that just wasn't true. He had Lux. He had Amenadiel, and Linda, and Maze when she wasn't being a disgruntled little demon. He had his health! He had...booze. So much of that, it was a shame to be confined in this dull little office where drinking was disallowed.

He watched as the detective tugged on her laughing offspring's hair and determined then he would take the day off. He needed a break from watching the sickening display he'd been putting up with for weeks. He stood up from his chair and marched over to her desk, not bothering to conceal his distaste.

"Well, if no one's been gruesomely bludgeoned, stabbed or skewered today, I'm going to head home early." The detective and Trixie looked up at him. Chloe looked slightly bewildered. "I've been neglecting my duties to myself, it seems. Think I'll swing by Lux and see if anyone else is feeling like getting in a little Lucifer time." He rocked on his heels and chuckled. Trixie screwed up her face.

"Ew, Lucifer!" she gagged dramatically.

Chloe glared at him.

"Okay, well, have a nice time, then." She tipped her head toward her daughter and gave him a hard look that said, "thanks so much, now go away."

Lucifer straightened his shoulders and glared right back.

"I will. Don't want to be the only one missing out on mixing business with pleasure." He gave a tight-lipped smile.

Chloe looked like she wanted to say something, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. He turned on his heel and left.

-:-

Pierce smiled to himself when he felt someone slide onto the barstool beside him.

"I didn't think you'd show up."

"Because you knew I would, right?" she said, rolling her eyes and signaling the bartender. She must have been a regular, because he didn't ask, just started to pour her a drink.

Pierce chuckled.

"Come here often?"

Maze relaxed against the bar, leaning on her arm, her leather-clad form turned to face him.

"Just cut the bullshit. I know what you're doing. Offer to meet me in a place you know I come to a lot so I'll be comfortable. Feel like I've got an advantage." A glass that looked to have three or so shots of dark liquid in it slid down the bar into her waiting hand. She downed it in one. "I wasn't born yesterday," she said, laughing mirthlessly at her own inside joke. "So what's your plan for Lucifer?"

"Diving right in then. Fine by me," he said, taking another drink. He turned his own body to face her, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "But not here. I need this to stay between me and you. The fewer people who see us talking, the better."

Maze raised an eyebrow.

"Why meet here at all then?"

"Make sure you're not being followed," he offered.

Maze shrugged.

"Where to?"

"My place. No prying eyes."

Maze's eyes raked over his body. Her lips curled wickedly.

"Too bad," she purred. "I like an audience." She stood up and gestured to the exit. "After you."

-:-

Lucifer had greatly diminished the amount of liquid in his prized crystal decanter. It was around that time he realized he couldn't play more than a few notes on his piano. His hair was mussed, his shirt wrinkled and unbuttoned, his eyes glassy and red. He drained the dregs of his glass and sat it down so heavily it cracked against the lid of the piano.

All that nonsense about him being okay with Pierce—no, CAIN, moving in between himself and the detective—he had to admit that's what it was, utter nonsense. How could he be okay with it? She had been bloody destined for him, had she not? By his own Father, the Maker of Heaven and Earth? Of course, he'd chosen to release her from that contrived future when he'd realized any romantic feelings she would ever have for him would be programmed into her. Completely beyond her control. He could never trust it was real, no matter how badly he might like it to be.

So, billions of years of a perfectly lucid existence had been reduced to this by a human woman. Her lifespan was a drop in the ocean compared to his. True, she was the best human he had ever encountered, and he had no doubt that he would never come across another like her for all eternity—

—But. That was only because she had been manipulated into existing by his meddlesome, heavy-handed, controlling, omniscient Father.

She wasn't supposed to exist. She was an anomaly.

As was he, if he thought about it. Supposedly, and Amenadiel would protest, he was God's favorite son. And yet he had rebelled, abandoned his father and the Silver City. Tempted the first humans to sin. Sabotaged his Father's favorite creation. There was no other angel like him, no other human like Chloe.

In his drunken state, it made sense that he could only find happiness with an exceptional human. A special soul. Someone who was not what they were meant to be.

And she was fixated now on another exceptional human, who just so happened to be immortal, and who also would not be roaming the earth so many years after his birth were it not for divine intervention.

Had his father finally decided Lucifer would never accept his gift? So as punishment, Lucifer would be forced to watch the detective fall for another man? An immortal who could not die, who would live forever as Lucifer would, as a constant reminder of what he had lost?

He hung his head, digging the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. Maze had been right. Humans sucked.

Then, a thought presented itself. It was absurd, really. To think of revealing himself to her now, after determining to let her live her life on her own terms. It was counterintuitive.

But, equally nonsensical was allowing her to enter into a relationship with a man who would surely break her heart. If he cared about her at all, didn't she deserve to know the truth of what she was getting herself into with Cain?

He felt the resolve settle in. Nothing would stop him. She deserved to know. It was long overdue.

He fished his phone out of his pocket and, against all odds, was able to find his keys.

Tonight was the night. He didn't care if Cain was with her. He would make her see.

He would show her his wings.

-:-

"Interesting," Maze said flatly. "For such an old guy, you sure keep a lot of pet rocks. Tell me you didn't name 'em." Her eyes darted around the room, noting the odd decor, before settling on Pierce's face. "Speak, or I'll test them out on your head."

He chuckled.

"Tried that, too." He stretched an arm out toward the living room, then when she didn't move, he sighed. "Alright. You want details."

"All of them," she barked. "Leave nothing out. If it's one thing I can't stand, it's being left in the dark."

Pierce nodded.

"I'm assuming you're here because you've exhausted all other options for getting back to Hell."

Maze crossed her arms and stuck her chin out.

"Yes."

"I can help you. And you can help me."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

He paused, gauging how she would take his next words.

"Decker is the key to everything."

Maze growled in exasperation and threw up her hands, turning away from him.

"Somehow, I knew it would be about her," she said out loud to herself. "It's always about her."

"Hear me out," Pierce said, coming up closer behind her. "Hasn't it ever crossed your mind that she's more than just an engineered love interest for Lucifer?"

"You mean, like the anti-Christ?" Maze chuckled darkly, whirling around. "No way. She's too boring."

"I've done my share of investigating. I'm saying, you all assumed God had Amenadiel bless Decker's parents because He wanted her born to one day cross paths with Lucifer. Then, his favorite son could experience love and maybe even choose to return to the Silver City one day."

Maze snorted. "No chance in hell."

Pierce swallowed. "But he will go wherever Decker goes. You've learned that by now."

Maze's forehead smoothed, and a crooked grin slowly stole across her lips. For the first time, she seemed to give credence to what he was saying. He saw his window of opportunity and jumped through it.

"If you want to get to Hell, and Lucifer refuses to return, you have to give him a reason to go there. That's how Decker is your ticket home." He pressed his lips together, waiting for it to sink in.

"So, what, we send Decker to Hell? You want me to kill her?" She was thrown, but intrigued, he could tell.

"Not unless it comes to that. It could be unnecessary."

Maze traced her lips with her tongue and cocked her head.

"What's in it for you?"

Pierce took a deep breath.

"Like I was saying, you think Decker was put here for Lucifer. I disagree. God knew Lucifer would return to Earth and that I would eventually seek him out, hoping he could grant my wish to die. Lucifer can't kill me himself; we've tried that. But Decker...Do you know how rarely angels intervene in the affairs of humans?"

Maze's eyes narrowed.

"Amenadiel said that God had never asked him to perform such a blessing before Decker, or since." She looked off to the side, working it out on her own.

"And just as He had to know Lucifer would fall for her, He knew Lucifer would choose not to be with her, because of his obsession with destiny and free will."

"So you're saying...God meant for Lucifer to fall in love with Decker, break her heart, and..." she trailed off, meeting his eyes. A light dawned across her face. And he inhaled sharply.

"Decker would never go for me, if it weren't for Lucifer. She's hurt, she's dying for someone to open up to her. She's chosen me because I'm the opposite of everything Lucifer is. I came in at just the right time, just the right moment. Knowing what you know about God, do you think that's coincidence?" He was breathing faster now, waiting for her to validate his theories. She smirked.

"You think if she loves you, she can make you vulnerable, like Lucifer."

"Not exactly," he quipped. "I think if she loves me, if a divine creation of God loves me, then she could be the one who is finally able to end my suffering...to kill me."

The demon's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah, no. Decker would never do that. She didn't even kill the guy who murdered her father." Maze rolled her eyes. "Goody Two-Shoes."

"Of course she wouldn't. Unless I threatened someone else she loved." His voice was deadly serious.

Maze's face blanked. For just a moment, she looked nervous.

"Not the kid," he supplied. Maze relaxed. "Lucifer. It has to be him. A human has to kill me to save the Devil, because she truly loves him, the one person humans are supposed to turn away from. Because I murdered my own brother, the last person I should've ever tried to harm—but it is what it is. That's how I die. That's how I get what I want."

"Fine," Maze shrugged. "But how do I get what I want? Decker is a saint. Anything happens to her and she's likely to go straight upstairs."

"Guilt is what keeps you in Hell," Pierce insisted. "After she kills me, it'll consume her. No chance she gets into paradise. Hell, you might not even have to kill her. She might take care of it for you," he said flatly. "Better to make it look like an accident, though, so Lucifer doesn't kill you for taking her life."

"You've put a lot of thought into this." Maze grinned wickedly, impressed. "Getting her to fall for you, that's low. And...what if..." she paused for a beat, "what if something happens to Lucifer?"

"Then he'll die and go to Hell anyway. I don't care who gets hurt. Just make sure he takes you with him."

She seemed to consider this plan for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek. A darkness came over her face, and she apparently came to a conclusion. Pierce waited eagerly, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"How certain are you that this is going to work?" She asked, her voice low.

He smiled.

"As certain as I am that Chloe Decker wasn't put here to love Lucifer. She was put here to kill me."

-:-


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here I am, adding a second chapter to what was meant to be a oneshot, diverging farther from canon, probably not even CLOSE to what the real show writers have planned. But it's fine. This is fun and helps me cope until the next episode! Review, please. It encourages more updates!

Thank you Beautifullyt6, Nath Tsubasa Evans, occasionalreader, Crystalyna du Starrvan, KarenKitties (and my guest reviewer!) for leaving comments! I appreciate it so much. :) it's nice to not feel like my idea is crazy!

Also, the scene with Chloe and Lucifer is set in my mind to " **Spirit Cold" by Tall Heights**. Beautiful, sad song. Check it out!

Disclaimer! Nothing belongs to me.

-:-

2.

Chloe shook her head. She'd been called out of bed to the office before, but never for something like this. Usually someone was already dead and not sitting in the interrogation room, twiddling his thumbs while she watched through the two-way glass partition.

"Do you want to go in, or..." asked Andrew, the night intake officer. Chloe gave him a weary smile.

"I'll talk with him in here. Maybe he'll be more open with me if he feels like I'm on his side."

Andrew nodded and walked out. Chloe watched as he appeared in the room with her suspect a few moments later, and gestured for him to follow.

Chloe turned away, facing the wall and taking a deep breath. She had a feeling she knew what had precipitated this and was looking forward to addressing it about as much as she was looking forward to her daughter's teenage years.

Andrew returned and cleared his throat. Chloe turned to face the two men.

Lucifer was disheveled to an extreme she had never experienced. It was worse than she had imagined when she'd gotten the call from Andrew an hour earlier. She clicked her tongue disappointedly.

"Well," Andrew said, clearly sensing the tension in the room, "just yell if you need anything, Detective." He glanced worriedly at Lucifer as he stepped around him and left the room.

Neither of them said anything for a moment. They just stared at each other. Chloe's lips formed a tight line. Lucifer's glassy eyes were full of determination and completely guiltless.

Finally, Chloe couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Okay. So, it's not everyday I get a call at one in the morning telling me my partner has been arrested for drunk driving. Or that he refuses to cooperate until I speak with him," she said sardonically. Then her voice turned pleading against her will. "What is going on with you, Lucifer? You're acting crazy—well, crazier than usual," she amended, "and that's saying something."

Lucifer took a step forward, spreading his hands out. Chloe took a step back, and she caught the brief flash of hurt in his eyes.

"I—I was on my way to see you. To explain things," he said in a strained voice. "But I ran afoul of a questionably placed fire hydrant, and my arresting officer was completely unsympathetic—"

"Lucifer!" She interjected. "Driving drunk is a serious offense. You could have killed your self, or someone else. This isn't like you." She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You said you were on your way to explain. So go ahead," she said, throwing her hands up, "enlighten me. What's happening to you?"

Lucifer took another step forward, and this time, Chloe stayed put. His brow furrowed and his eyes shining, Lucifer stretched out his hands to her.

"I don't know. I've tried...I've spoken to Linda, and Maze, and even bloody Amenadiel, and no one has the same answer to my problem, so I'm left to assume they're all wrong." He inched closer. "It's Pierce," he finished. Chloe rolled her eyes. There it was.

"Oh God, not this again!" She groaned, rubbing her tired eyes. She blinked rapidly to wet them, and then focused on Lucifer again. "He is a good man. He's given us no reason not to trust him. He nearly _died_ saving my life!"

"That was a purely selfish act, no matter how he made it seem, Detective!" Lucifer spat.

Chloe glared at him.

"Selfish? So, he wanted—what, recognition? Gratitude? To—to _die_? Do you hear yourself right now?"

"I assure you my hearing is not the issue! It's your...complete lack of loyalty!" Lucifer glared right back at her. This change of tack threw her.

"My _what_?" she gasped, indignant.

"I risked my life to save you first! Then Pierce does it and suddenly you're practically swooning whenever he enters a room!"

"That's not fair! It's not a competition—"

"That's exactly what it is to him, Detective—"

"He has shown NO sign of—"

"You just see what you want to see!" he shouted, chest heaving. Chloe couldn't remember ever seeing him so angry, at least not at her. "Despite all evidence to the contrary, despite someone handing you the truth on a bloody silver platter, you choose to believe otherwise. It's baffling. I realize it's part of the human condition but it's absolutely pointless, demeaning even! And you don't care!"

Chloe watched him ramble with growing concern. He was slipping back into his own strange narrative again, deliberately attacking her, and he seemed more convinced now than ever before that they weren't even the same species.

A knock at the door startled them, and Lucifer, suddenly weary, put one hand to his eyes and the other at his hip.

Andrew stuck his head in, looking worried.

"I uh, heard shouting. Everything okay?"

"It's fine. Thanks, though. We won't be much longer."

Andrew nodded again and left, closing the door softly.

The mood in the room had broken. Lucifer's posture seemed to sag, all the fight having left him. Chloe approached him and raised one hand to touch his shoulder, but then thought better of it. She crossed her arms again to try to prevent herself from giving in to the urge to console him.

All their past conversations seemed to bubble up into her consciousness. Each time they'd come close to being something more than partners. The few kisses they'd shared. The sting of rejection, the hurt at finding his apartment empty and his furniture covered with sheets. His surprise wedding to Candy; the bullet necklace; the knife he took to the chest; circumstances she still didn't understand when he'd managed to save her from a seemingly incurable poisoning.

Playing board games with Trixie and their make-believe prom. Defending his character in front of a courtroom full of witnesses.

All they'd been through, and he was falling apart over a man she was dating. After telling her he wanted to simply remain friends.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

"What do you want from me, Lucifer? Please, tell me. Because I have no idea." She swallowed a lump in her throat and forced herself to look at him. "Because it seems to me that you want someone who keeps you happy, and the second they do something you don't like, you put them through Hell."

Lucifer's face appeared...sad. Maybe even crestfallen. He was silent a long moment. Then his hands curled into white fists, and he seemed to decide on something.

"I want you to be happy."

Chloe scoffed.

"I do. I believe I value your happiness more so than my own, which is...new...and disturbing," he laughed weakly. Then his face turned deadly serious. "But you can't be happy with him. Not him, Detective."

If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was pleading with her.

"Then who, Lucifer? Because you've made it clear you're unavailable." Her face flamed, but she held her ground. They might as well air all their dirty laundry at once. It had festered long enough.

"I only want you to be safe—"

"Because you'd never hurt me, right?"

"—and Pierce is only out for himself. You're only a means to an end for him."

"I can't believe you—"

"Please, just stay away from him," he said, and he had shifted close enough to stare down into her eyes before she realized it. "Please."

"No," she said firmly. "Unless you can give me an actual reason why—"

"Fine! You and your reasons!" He sighed. "But you're right. I suppose it's what I should've done from the start anyway. You deserve to know the truth. And the truth will set you free, as the saying goes."

This time, he took a few steps back. He rolled his shoulders and clasped his hands together in front of his body. He took a few slow, deep breaths. His eyes found hers, and the look there reeled her in so completely that she couldn't dream of looking away.

She waited some achingly long seconds, holding her breath. Lucifer was concentrating very hard, she could tell. It reminded her of the time he had tried to make another revelation to her and he insisted something must have been wrong when it didn't work.

The seconds ticked by, and with each passing one, she felt the last vestiges of hope leaving her. She didn't know she'd still had hope until she felt it go.

"I can't do this anymore," she said slowly. "I feel like...I'm done." She blinked, ignoring the cold that stole over her heart, so intense it burned. "You need help. Tell Linda you want a refund."

She wasn't sure why she said it, but it was all that came to her. She tried to brush past him, but he reached out and caught her arm.

"Detective, wait—"

"I've been waiting okay? I didn't realize it, until now...but I've wasted so much time..." Fresh tears pricked at her eyes. "I deserve better than you. I-I deserve m-more than—whatever this was."

"But—"

"I'm dissolving our partnership," she sniffed. She made hard eye contact with him, forcing herself to keep it together for sixty more seconds. "You're not yourself. You're a danger to yourself and other people. I'm no longer comfortable retaining you as a consultant." She nodded, more to herself than him, and brushed past him toward the door.

Her hand was on the handle, but then she hesitated. She needed to say it. Then it would be out, and she could leave it in this room when she walked through the door. The spoken truth would be the antidote to the poisonous effect of lying to herself.

With her grip still on the handle, she turned slightly toward Lucifer, who looked surprisingly alert for a drunken man. Chloe took a deep breath to calm her thudding heart.

"I don't know if...if you were there," she swallowed, blinking back tears. "But I think—I could've loved you." Her voice broke. Lucifer looked stricken. "Or I would have, if you'd have let me."

She gave him one last piercing look, then nodded to herself. It was done. She turned the door handle and pushed it open with one hand, using the back of her other hand to wipe the wetness from her cheeks.

Andrew was just outside the door. Obviously he hadn't heard everything, but one look at Chloe's face told him not to ask questions. He waited for her to collect herself so she could speak.

"Thanks for calling me, Andrew," she said, and cleared her throat. "I need you to revoke Lucifer Morningstar's building access privileges and take his security badge. I'll notify Lieutenant Pierce in the morning that he wished to resign."

Andrew's eyebrows shot to his hairline, but he didn't comment.

"Yes ma'am. And what about the arrest? You want me to...?"

"Booking him won't be necessary, this time. But he's in no condition to drive himself home, so if you could put him in holding for tonight...and maybe not tell him he's not being arrested," she added as an afterthought.

"Sure thing. Er...you okay?" he ventured, looking genuinely concerned.

Chloe smiled weakly.

"Not really." She shrugged. "Goodnight, Andrew."

-:-

A few hours later, Chloe headed directly into Pierce's office, dreading all the questions sure to come.

"Hey, Lieutenant," she said, knocking on the doorframe. Pierce looked up from his desk and grinned at her. Then he took in her expression and his smile dimmed.

"Hey, Decker. What's up?" He walked around the desk and moved closer, crossing his arms over his chest. "You look like you didn't sleep well."

"It's...uh...about Lucifer, actually." She shuffled her feet.

Pierce sighed deeply. "Ah. So, you two finally decided to give it a shot, then." He was resigned.

"What?" Chloe gasped. "No! No, that's not—"

"I figured it would happen eventually. I guess it's a good thing it's sooner rather than later." He leaned back against his desk. "Congratulations."

Chloe shook her head.

"You don't have to worry about that. Well, not that you should anyway. But Lucifer is gone." She took a deep breath. "I told him we couldn't be partners anymore," she rushed out.

Pierce looked confused. Then worried. Then angry. Then he settled back on worried.

"I...hope you didn't do that on my account," he said questioningly.

"No, of course not. It was just...time." Chloe looked at her feet. "He was behaving...erratically. I was worried someone might get hurt. Technically I guess I fired him...but the official word is he's resigned."

Pierce nodded. "He was definitely an asset, though. It's a shame he had to bring his personality with him to work."

If Chloe didn't know any better, she would think Pierce had actually smirked for a split-second.

"Well, I'm sure we'll be fine without him. You gonna be okay?" He asked, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. Chloe nodded and looked up at him.

"I will be. He and I just need some distance. We care about each other, you know? But we make each other crazy...and I can't afford to lose my mind. I have a career, and a daughter, and—"

"Relax. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I get it." Pierce dipped his head and gave her a peck on the lips. Then he released her and turned to sit back at his desk.

"Thank you...for being so great about this."

"Not a problem," he grinned. "Better get back to work, though. Don't want people to think I'm going soft." He winked, and Chloe gave a half-smile.

"See you later."

As soon as she was gone, Pierce grabbed a nondescript phone from his bottom desk drawer. Maze answered on the second ring.

"Meet at my place tonight. Make sure you're not followed. We may need to move up our plans."

-:-

"This had better be good. I was in the middle of a stripper sandwich and let me tell you, they didn't skimp on the meat."

Maze walked straight in, making herself at home and rolling her eyes at the enormous rock collection.

"There's been a complication," Pierce said, ignoring her comment and closing the door behind her. "Chloe fired Lucifer."

Maze stretched out on the sofa like a cat and chuckled.

"Go Decker. I didn't think she had it in her." Her eyes shifted to Pierce. "Has she? Did she and Lucifer—"

"No. He's finally pushed her too far."

Maze's eyebrows quirked up amusedly. "Hmm. Where does that leave you, then? Sounds like she might not love the devil as much as you thought."

Pierce took the armchair across from the couch and fixed Maze with a condescending smirk.

"You haven't been around humans in their normal lives as long as I have. They say and do one thing, but usually mean something else. It's masochistic but whatever." He leaned back in the chair. "Chloe knows she has to put space between herself and Lucifer if she wants to move on. She's taking steps to try to get over him. But that doesn't happen overnight."

Maze snorted unattractively. "You sound like Lucifer's shrink." She rolled her eyes. "Decker's pretty resilient as far as humans go. She'll get over him."

"I know she will. But in order for me to die, she has to love him unconditionally. Which is why we have to act as soon as possible."

Maze sat up, intrigued. "But doesn't 'unconditional love' require that she knows everything about him, including who he really is? How do we get Lucifer to show her he's the devil? If he hasn't done it by now, he's decided he's never gonna do it."

A dark, eerily sinister expression contorted Pierce's face.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. I need you to get me the kid."

Maze stayed silent, waiting, obviously, for the other shoe to drop. When Pierce offered no further explanation, she leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees.

"I told you the kid was off-limits," she said menacingly.

"Nothing's going to happen to her. She's just a—"

"Means to an end." Maze smirked. "You and Lucifer have more in common than you think."

"Ah, but the difference is, I want to help us both. If you want to get to Hell, then you have to get your hands dirty. Are you in, or are you out?"

His voice was gritty and cold as ice, and managed to be one of the most threatening things Maze had heard. It would've frightened her, were she not a demon forged in Hell.

It was clear that Pierce's mind was made up. He would do what he had to do to achieve his desired end, and if that meant he had to do it alone, so be it. Maze could see that if she wanted to go home, His was clearly the only logical side to be on.

She smirked. "Just tell me when."

-:-

Linda had just turned off the light in her office to head home when a harsh knock rattled her door. She gasped and stepped back, one hand clinging to her chest.

"Office hours are over," she called. "You can call tomorrow morning and schedule an appointment!"

The door rattled again from more fierce banging.

"Open the damn door, Linda, or I'll break it down."

Linda's eyes widened.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "And how dare you—"

"Open the goddamn door now!"

"Go away! I'll call the police!" Linda shrieked, already backing up and rifling through her purse to find her phone.

Her fingers finally closed around it and she immediately speed-dialed help.

The next second, her office door was in splintered pieces; half of it littered the floor and half was struggling to hang on to the hinges.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

"Yes! My name is Doctor Linda—"

Her uninvited guest stepped over the debris and snatched the phone out of her hand before throwing it against the wall. It exploded all over the couch.

Linda's heart was pounding now. This was it. This time, Amenadiel and Maze wouldn't save her from an attack by a crazed immoral, mainly because Maze was the one attacking her.

The demon and her former friend stared her down, lips curled back over her teeth.

"Hello, Linda," she said spitefully. "We need to talk."

-:-


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm probably going to wrap this up in the next 1-2 chapters, because when the new episode comes out, none of this will matter hahah. This is mostly a filler chapter to set up the next one. Also, to answer one reviewer, yes this is a Deckerstar fanfiction. And just to warn everyone, before the end of this story, one of the characters will die. I feel like it's coming on the show, too, and while I may be way off, the feeling is still there.

As always, please review! It makes my entire day :)

Thank you Crystalyna du Starrvan, Lilo, Mosdra Kazuma and my two guest reviewers for your comments! Throwing many digital cookies your way!

Also, I have the next chapter written. I just need to proof read it ;)

-:-

3.

"What do you want?" Linda demanded. She glared at Maze, not daring to turn her back on her, with one hand behind her rifling through the items on her desk, searching for something she could use to protect herself.

"I'm not here to kill you, Linda. So you can put the stapler down."

Linda did not put the stapler down.

"Fine. Whatever. Like I said, I'm here to talk." Maze spoke through gritted teeth, but dropped onto Linda's sofa and crossed one leg over the other. She stretched one arm over the back, still glaring at her former friend.

"I think we both said everything we had to say. I think you should leave," Linda rushed out, her knuckles white on her office-supply-turned-weapon-of-choice.

The demon chuckled darkly.

"You're going to want to hear this. It concerns your friend. That is, if you haven't betrayed her, too." She narrowed her eyes, lip curled viciously.

Linda straightened up, her free hand curling into a fist.

"I won't dignify that accusation with a response. You can think what you'd like, as usual, but I'm going home. I don't want to see you again," she said firmly.

Maze suddenly stood and closed the distance between them in less than a second. Her face was mere inches from Linda's, her hands also balled into tight fists at her sides. She sneered at the blonde woman, who was unable to hide the shimmer of fear in her eyes.

"Do you think I want to have anything to do with you? Do you think I'd be here if I had any other choice?" she hissed quietly. "It would suit me just fine to never see your face again, so don't flatter yourself that you're the reason I'm here." She backed off slowly, putting another foot between them.

Linda had subconsciously leaned her torso slightly backward over her desk, away from the danger. Maze smirked as she cleared her throat and straightened her body.

"Fine. Then why are you here?" Linda ground out.

Maze's lips twitched.

"Pierce recruited me to help kill him. He's convinced he needs Lucifer and Decker to...participate."

Linda's eyebrows shot up.

"Participate...against their will?"

"Obviously." Maze rolled her eyes.

"So why did he come to you?" Linda asked suspiciously.

The demon laughed without mirth again. "He knows I want to get back to Hell. Lucifer refuses to take me, because he thinks it'll set something in motion that could hurt Decker. So Pierce wants us to help each other get what we want." She sank back onto the sofa, eyeing Linda warily.

The doctor said nothing, just crossed her arms over herself as she absorbed the new information. The logical part of her mind pushed aside her misgivings about seeing Maze and their unpleasant reunion, focusing wholly on the task at hand. She pursed her lips.

"You want to get back to Hell...Pierce wants to die...and he wants Chloe and Lucifer to help him achieve that end." Her eyes widened. "He's going to kill them?"

"If necessary. He doesn't care what happens to them, or anyone else, as long as he gets what he wants. And I don't either. Except..." her jaw clenched, "except for Trixie. He's planning to use her to get Lucifer to expose who he really is to Chloe. It could...not end well for the kid." Maze shrugged, and looked away.

Linda looked bewildered.

"How does he plan to do that?"

"He wants me to pick her up from school tomorrow—"

"Don't do it," Linda interrupted furiously. "Don't you dare—"

"I don't have a choice!" Maze shouted, saliva flying from her mouth. "Half the reason Pierce is doing this is to get back at Lucifer for refusing to help him. He's completely unforgiving and vengeful!" Linda threw Maze a pointed look, which she ignored. "If I don't do this, he will find someone else to do it—probably come after Trixie anyway just to get back at me. Or he won't stop until he kills me—he has an eternity to do it—and he knows if I die that I—"

"Cease to exist, because you don't have a soul." Linda finished solemnly. Maze looked away again, but nodded.

Neither of them spoke. Linda pulled her lips into her mouth and pressed them together hard in thought. She finally stepped away from her desk, walking over to her office window. Her mind raced over what she should do—what she could do. Her options were extremely limited. If she warned Lucifer, he was likely to do something rash and ineffective that would only antagonize Pierce further. Chloe wouldn't believe any of it. What they needed was divine intervention, and she only knew one other person with a direct line to God.

She let out a shuddering breath, dreading saying what she was about to say to the demon in her office.

"We need Amenadiel."

-:-

Lucifer rolled a fifteen thousand dollar bottle of 40-year-old scotch between his hands. The glass was cool and smooth against his palms. It would be nothing to open it and drink every last drop. He'd been saving it for a special occasion, after all, and this day was nothing if not special.

He had never felt true heartbreak before. He was certain of it. His memory was immaculate. Every woman and man he'd ever shared his bed with was fresh in his mind and forever would be; he was the original Casanova, after all.

The moment he'd learned the detective's existence was an elaborate con of his Father's had hurt him, yes. But it hadn't broken his heart beyond repair. If anyone had told him a millennium ago that he would feel this way for a human woman, or any creature for that matter, he'd have promptly sent Mazikeen to torture and maim them—for the hell of it.

Today was different. He'd known it the moment he'd opened his eyes. When he'd fallen asleep, he felt quite sure he would be refreshed when he awoke. He thought he had accepted the detective's decision to remove him from her life. He had drank himself to the bottom of several glasses, then collapsed into bed with a positive outlook. But he'd been fooling himself.

He wouldn't change his decision to not be romantically involved with her. He was done being manipulated by his Father. But refusing a gift from God came with consequences, and now he had to deal with them accordingly. Some way.

Grinding his teeth, he suddenly flung the vintage bottle as hard as he could into the glass shelves behind the bar in his apartment. Liquid splattered everywhere; some of the shelves exploded, sending glass raining down like falling stars.

He felt a bit better.

"You can't have everything you want," he whispered through gritted teeth into the air. He watched drops of alcohol fall from the remaining shelves to the floor. They made the only sound. His face fell. "If there's a lesson you were trying to teach me, consider it learned. I've been ungrateful. 'Know ye that the Lord—He is God!...Be thankful unto Him and bless His name!'" he spat mockingly.

Swallowing hard, he looked around him at all the earthly wealth he had acquired. Any number of mortals would kill to be in his place. Among humans, he might as well be a god.

And it was empty. Bitterly so.

Suddenly, he made the decision to return to Hell. Time moved differently there. He would stay as long as it took to move on from his current obsession with the detective, and then he could return. Mere months would pass on earth, but when he saw her again (because he felt sure his Father would see to that) he would be prepared. He would keep her at arm's length...not that it was likely she would want to be near him.

And going back to Hell would certainly perk Mazikeen right up.

Yes, that was what he would do. He wouldn't bother putting sheets on his furniture this time. He needed no time to pack. It was true what they said—you can't take it with you.

His phone vibrated in his suit pocket. Assuming it was Maze, he chuckled. "Perfect timing!"

The name on the screen was not hers. He answered anyway. He needed to say goodbye.

"Funny you should call me right as I've made a monumental life decision, Doctor!" he laughed. "What do you say we get together and have one last drink before I blow off this sad substitution and journey on to the real thing?"

"Lucifer, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm here with Maze—"

"Oh, good! Tell her I've changed my mind and I'm happy to take her home—"

"Something serious has happened. It involves Chloe." Her voice cut across him so severely he actually started to listen to her.

"What do you mean? Is she hurt? Did Caïn—"

"She's fine for now. But—why don't you meet us at my office—"

An angry shout sounded off in the background, and Lucifer recognized it was Maze.

"I know you don't want to see him, but—"

"Linda, what's going on with the detective?" Lucifer demanded, already throwing on his suit jacket.

"Well, we—Amenadiel thinks it is best if we don't discuss this over the phone. How soon can you be here?"

"Amenadiel? Bloody hell! I'm on my way."

If his therapist, his demon bodyguard and his brother were all involved, there was certainly no time to waste. Lives were at stake. Or his sanity, at the very least.

But after this, he was off to Hell. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

-:-

Linda hung up the phone and let out a huge breath.

"He'll be here soon." She bit her lip. "I can't believe we're doing this. He'll never trust us again."

Amenadiel put one large hand on Linda's shoulder. "It's for his own good. There's no other way."

Maze scoffed disgustedly.

"Just for the record, I think this is a stupid idea. Have you two learned NOTHING? Who put you in charge of deciding what's best for anybody else?" Maze threw her hands up. "You're going to make everything worse. Coming here was a waste of time!"

"Don't let your anger at us blind you toward what's happening right now," Amenadiel warned, stepping between the women. "Chloe could die. Trixie could die. And Lucifer—"

"Will get what's coming to him. It's a shame the same can't be said for you!"

"I am so sick of you making such a big deal about the fact that Amenadiel and I had a relationship," Linda interrupted. "Although I shouldn't be surprised. You have the emotional maturity of a hormonal teenager!"

"You're such a hypocrite, talking about horny teenagers like you weren't acting like one when you slept with—"

"Can we please focus on the task at hand?" Amenadiel pleaded quietly, rubbing his temples.

No one spoke for a long moment, but if looks could kill they would all be goners.

"Fine," Maze growled. "I'm going. But if this ends badly, it's on you." She glared at them both, then stormed out, slamming Linda's door behind her.

"What are we doing? This is so dangerous," Linda said breathlessly. "Lucifer will find out, Amenadiel. And if he finds out at the wrong moment—"

"It has to be this way. You know what he'd do if we told him everything. And that wouldn't end well for anyone."

Linda blinked rapidly, then finally nodded.

"You're right. Okay. Of course. I mean, what could go wrong? There's just an angel, a demon, a devil, an immortal human and a couple of really fragile death-prone humans all in one—one room together—"

"Linda?"

"Yes?"

"It'll be okay. Trust me."

Linda met his eyes. His soothing, soft, impossible-to-argue-with eyes.

"Okay."

-:-

Trixie played with the zipper on her book bag. She and dozens of other students sat on benches waiting to be picked up by their parents. She glanced out at the line of cars waiting and didn't see one she recognized, so she went back to chatting with her friend.

"Hey, kid."

Trixie looked up, startled and squinting against the afternoon sun. Then she narrowed her eyes at who had spoken.

"You're not supposed to pick me up today. Or ever." She pouted.

"Yeah, well, change of plans. Your mom couldn't make it, so here I am. Let's go." Maze reached out to grab Trixie's arm.

"No!" She moved her body away. "I don't want to go with you. You're not a nice person. I heard you telling my daddy that bad stuff about Mommy and me."

Maze looked around to make sure no teachers were paying attention.

"Look, if you don't come with me, you're gonna sit here all night. I'm just gonna take you home and then I'm out, okay?"

"Why would my mom send you? Where is Olga?" Trixie looked all around, even standing up from the bench. Her movement caused one of the teachers helping direct the line of cars to look in her direction. Maze recognized the woman as someone who had seen Maze pick Trixie up from school before, so she didn't anticipate any trouble.

"Olga is sick. Let's go. Now." Maze was able to grab Trixie's arm on the second try.

"But—"

"Don't make me throw you over my shoulder."

Trixie finally gave up resisting and followed, sullen and pouting.

"I want the old Maze back."

"Well, you can't always have what you want. That's life. Get used to it."

-:-

"Alright, I'm here. Where's the detective?" Lucifer demanded as he barged into Linda's office. The doctor and his brother looked up, but didn't immediately answer. "Well?"

They all looked at each other. As Linda started to speak, Amenadiel moved to put himself between Lucifer and the door.

"I'm—well, I'm sorry to say we haven't been completely honest with you, Lucifer. Chloe is fine. We actually called you because—well, because of Charlotte Richards. She's in trouble and we didn't think you'd come and hear us out if we told you the truth." She was sitting in her usual chair, and gestured for Lucifer to take a seat on the couch.

He rolled his eyes, but acquiesced.

"Cunning, Doctor. And you," he glared up at Amenadiel. "Quite deceptive of you to go along with this. Tell me, what's wrong with Mum's old skin suit today? I'm on the edge of my seat."

"I'm concerned Charlotte is suffering from a mental breakdown. Probably from showing her your wings. It didn't happen immediately, but now that she's had time to think, she's started behaving erratically," Amenadiel said, cutting his eyes at Linda. She didn't pick up on the hint right away. He gave her an obvious look.

"Oh—uh yes. Sometimes traumatic experiences can...cause delayed responses. And some of those responses can be extreme. It's quite common," she rushed out. Amenadiel nodded.

"She walked out of work today and boarded a plane to Florida without telling anyone why." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Lucifer looked bewildered and maybe a tad concerned.

"Ah, yes. No reason any sane person would go there. She's clearly gone round the bend." He disappointedly shook his head. "And I thought she'd taken it so well."

"Which is exactly why we need to go get her," Amenadiel insisted. "We have no idea what she might try."

"If she tells anyone about the two of you, she'll lose her job and maybe even be committed," Linda supplied helpfully. Amenadiel smiled and nodded behind Lucifer's back and mouthed "yes!"

Linda kept her face as blank as possible.

"Well, that makes sense I suppose. So what do you need me for?" Lucifer asked.

"You should come with us."

"Why? Surely the two of you can handle one crazy ex-goddess! Or take Maze with you." Lucifer stood, straightening his suit jacket and taking a step toward the door. "Where is she, by the way? I have more important things to attend to!"

Amenadiel moved to stand fully in the doorway.

"It's our responsibility to take care of this, Luci. We did this to her."

"And!" Linda interjected, "Uh...see—seeing you two would be...could, possibly, calm her down, you know. You're the only ones who can really drive home the importance of keeping this secret."

She hoped they would leave soon. She was having serious trouble coming up with these lies.

Lucifer looked between the two of them, weighing their words. He scratched the unshaven skin beneath his chin, then exhaled loudly.

"Fine." He slapped his hands against the side of his thighs. "Let's go, then. I can't wait. Just thinking about all the ancient retirees and Mickey Mouse t-shirts has me brimming with excitement."

Amenadiel glanced at Linda one final time.

"Alright. I've already gotten our tickets. Our flight leaves in an hour."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** This is the second to last chapter. It is longer than the others because unfortunately I'm not sure I'll have the next chapter up before the new episode. I haven't decided on an epilogue yet.

Also, it's important to remember for this chapter that on the show, Pierce has an entire file cabinet full of info on the rest of the characters.

WARNING: character death. Sorry (but at least it's NOT Trixie)!

 **As always, please review! It takes far, far less time to review than it does to read ;)**

Thank you Lilo, SailorChronos1, Anya, foof452 and my guest reviewers for your comments :) You all made my day!

-:-

4.

Since there were no more cars in line, Chloe drove right up to the front entrance of the school and parked her car, flinging the door open before she'd even yanked the key out. She saw one of the younger teacher aides gathering up the traffic cones that divided the pick up line into lanes, and rushed over to her.

"Hi! I'm so sorry I'm late. I got stuck at work. I'm here to pick up my daughter—"

"Oh! Ms. Decker, right?"

"Yes."

"Wait right here, and I'll go get her for you. They take all the students inside after three forty-five."

"Thank you. And I'm sorry again!"

Chloe stood on the sidewalk, glancing obsessively at her watch. It was 4:00 pm, so she'd been over thirty minutes late. Shaking her head, she internally chastised herself to do better, already thinking of how to apologize to her daughter. Maybe she'd take her for ice cream.

A few moments later, the teacher aide and another older teacher came out of the building, looking confused. Chloe looked behind them, but Trixie wasn't there.

"Ms. Decker, I'm Amelia Catledge. I had pick up duty today, and I saw your roommate take Trixie with her."

Chloe's brow furrowed.

"I...currently don't have a roommate. Do you mean Maze?"

"Yes. The one always wearing black leather," Ms. Catledge said, her mouth twitching with disapproval.

"I'm confused. She wasn't—you know, maybe I just forgot. I've been busy at work and—I guess it just slipped my mind that Maze was going to pick Trixie up today," she backpedaled, trying not to look like a totally irresponsible parent. "I'm sure they're at home waiting for me," she smiled.

The two women smiled back, but the older one looked a bit suspicious.

"That's alright, Ms. Decker. It happens all the time." She sounded totally unconvincing.

"Right. Well, thank you."

Chloe turned back to get in her car, and as soon as the door was safely shut behind her and the other women had gone back into the school, she allowed herself a moment to freak out.

"Maze, what the hell are you doing?"

She turned the key in the ignition and started home, trying to ignore the apprehension growing in her gut.

-:-

At LAX, Lucifer stepped up to the TSA agent and emptied the contents of his pockets into a small plastic tray.

"Charlotte had better appreciate this. There are few things as irksome as going through airport security." Lucifer stepped out of his shoes and into the body scanner.

At that moment, Amenadiel, who was waiting behind him in line, heard Lucifer's ringtone. The TSA agent held onto the basket holding the phone. Lucifer, who was separated from his belongings by the walls of the body scanner, didn't seem to hear it.

"Please, Father. Please," Amenadiel murmured, keeping his eyes on Lucifer's face. A second later, he heard the distinct ding of a voicemail notification.

Then another agent gestured for Lucifer to step out the other side and collect his belongings. It was Amenadiel's turn. He followed suit and emptied his things into the offered tray and stepped in to be scanned.

Lucifer waved to him and said, "Meet you at the gate, Brother. I'm going to have a drink." He walked away. Amenadiel dared not stop him to avoid raising his suspicions.

The seconds ticked by as he waited to be released. The TSA agent gestured to him that it would be a few more moments. He looked anxiously off in the direction Lucifer had gone, praying fervently in his head that his brother would remain ignorant just long enough for the plane to take off.

Finally, the door to the scanner opened and he was allowed to proceed through security. He grabbed his phone and walked as quickly as he could to the nearest bar in the airport. Lucifer wasn't there.

He checked the next one, and his brother was no where to be seen.

The searching had taken quite some time, but he dared not call Lucifer; that would draw attention to his phone and whatever voicemail he had been left. It was too much of a coincidence not to think it had been Chloe who called.

When he arrived at their gate, he realized they only had minutes to spare. A voice came over the loud speakers.

"Now boarding business class passengers on American Airlines flight 260 to Miami International."

Amenadiel swallowed, his heart pounding. He hoped that at any moment, Lucifer would appear, and he could take him somewhere safe. Somewhere far away from the dangerous web Caïn had waiting for them all. Hopefully if Lucifer was gone, Caïn would have to postpone his plans. Then all Amenadiel had to do was find some way to keep Lucifer from returning to California, and Caïn would follow them, leaving Chloe and her daughter behind. They couldn't all be together again. It would put to risk the lives of the humans Lucifer loved most, and Amenadiel dreaded the thought of what his brother would become if he lost either of them.

It was a long shot. But it was all he had been able to come with.

"Now boarding coach passengers on American Airlines flight 260 to Miami..."

Amenadiel's blood thundered in his ears. He was afraid. He'd thought Lucifer had been fooled, but if he had looked at his phone...

"Come on, Luci."

A few minutes later, a flight attendant announced the last call for their flight. Amenadiel felt all his hope vanish as she closed the door to their gate.

He should've known better. His brother was the devil. The original master manipulator. He'd seen their scheme coming from a mile away.

Already running back toward the airport's exit, he whipped his phone out of his pocket and dialed Linda. She answered on the first ring.

"He knows. He's gone." He burst out of the doors into the sunlight, searching the mob of people for one familiar face. "I've lost him."

-:-

"Yes?"

"Maze?"

"Who the hell else would it be?"

"Right. Look, I know you picked Trixie up from school. I'm a little confused considering everything that's been going on with you. Where is she?" Chloe demanded, trying to keep her voice steady so it sounded like she was panicking less than she actually was. She was driving in circles; she had already gone home to find it empty.

"She's fine, Decker. I brought her to Lucifer's," Maze drawled.

"Lu—Lucifer's?" Chloe asking haltingly. "Was he in on this? Is this 'prank Chloe' day?" She swerved into the left turn lane to head toward Lux, causing the driver behind her to honk loudly.

"Yeah, it's about you again, like everything else."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Maze laughed hollowly.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"What is going on with you? Maze?" Chloe glanced at her phone and realized her ex roommate had hung up. She tossed the phone into the passenger seat and pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor.

She tried calling Lucifer, but he didn't pick up, so she opted to leave a voicemail.

"Lucifer—call me when you get this. Maze picked Trixie up from school today without telling me and I'm worried...she hasn't been herself. Something is going on with her and I don't—I don't know, but she's involved Trixie now. She said she took her to Lux and I'm on my way there now. Call me."

When she finally arrived at Lux, she noted it was unusually quiet. It was the start of the evening and people—mostly women—were usually lined up at the door. But there was only a very well-built man standing there, hands clasped in front of him in true bouncer form.

Chloe approached him, already preparing to flash her badge if the need arose.

"Hello—I'm Chloe Decker. I'm a friend of—"

"Go right up, ma'am." The bouncer stepped aside and didn't speak further.

Eyeing him warily, Chloe pushed into the club, becoming increasingly unnerved. The lights were dimmed. No music played, no high heels clicked on the floor.

It was frighteningly lonely.

She barreled toward the elevator and punched the button for the top floor, looking up at the ceiling as though she could mentally push it to go faster.

When the doors opened, she stepped through—and was met with a sight that stunned her so completely she couldn't speak at first.

There was her daughter, the beautiful light of her life, sitting terrified on Lucifer's sofa. Standing behind Trixie was Chloe's

boyfriend, with a gun to the back of her child's head.

"Marcus?" Chloe asked shakily as she took a few more steps forward, noticing Maze standing at the bar in her peripheral vision. "What's going on?"

Nobody spoke. But Pierce and Maze exchanged dubious looks, and it stood the hairs on Chloe's neck on end. This was so very, very wrong.

"Someone please tell me what's happening right now," she pleaded, trying to keep her voice firm. She put one hand out in front of her cautiously and the other drifted toward her handgun on her hip. Then she realized it wasn't there; she'd thought she would only be confronting Maze and had left it in her car. Slowly, she began to advance over to Trixie.

"I'll be happy to explain once everyone is here," Pierce said. "If I know Lucifer at all, he'll be right behind you." His voice was completely devoid of all the warmth Chloe was used to. He sounded like a different person. "Stay where you are."

Chloe immediately stopped.

"This is about Lucifer?"

"Oh, yes. And me, and Maze, and Amenadiel. And you." He smirked at some inside joke. A tear rolled down Trixie's face.

"Whatever is going on, Trixie doesn't need to be involved. Please, let me take my daughter home." Chloe reached out again and took one more slow step.

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave, Chloe. It would be better if you didn't attempt to." His voice had a pronounced sinister edge, and the unshakeable eeriness of the situation made Chloe break out in a cold sweat. Her eyes locked on Trixie's terrified ones.

Just then the elevator arrived but Chloe didn't turn to see who would be standing behind the doors. Chloe swallowed, hoping with equal parts of her that it was Lucifer and it wasn't him, too.

The proclaimed Devil himself entered the room with vengeance clearly on his mind. His presence carried a startling sense of unadulterated fury. For all that could be seen on his countenance, though, his voice was smooth and lilting, almost mocking.

"Ah, Caïn. I wish I could say I'm surprised." He took casual steps into the room, not making eye contact with Chloe. He never looked away from Pierce. "Scaring off everyone in Lux and paying off my bouncer—dead giveaway."

"That's a shame. I tried so hard to be secretive," Pierce said sharply, glancing at Maze.

"Indeed you did. You underestimated, however, how well I know my brother." He moved around the piano, fingers ghosting across the keys.

Pierce looked momentarily amused.

"Amenadiel? Interesting." He shrugged. "Not the first person I thought you'd run to, Maze." He shot her a smirk, which she looked away from disgustedly. "Not your first choice, then." Pierce focused again on Lucifer. "But you're the one who did the underestimating. Did you really think I didn't know your favorite little servant would betray me?" he chuckled. "Come on, Lucifer. I've been around. We both have. Give me a little more credit."

Lucifer paused for a fraction of a moment in his forward advancement.

"Then tell me—what was the point of having Maze convince Amenadiel and the good doctor to trick me into flying to the other side of the country? If you wanted me here, surely you could've just asked. You know I'd do anything for you, old sport." He smiled wickedly.

Pierce raised an eyebrow.

"I expected Maze to try to enlist help once I asked her to involve Decker's daughter. She's got a soft spot for that kid." He glanced at Trixie, frowning, as though he didn't understand. "I knew it wouldn't be you, so that really only left—"

"Linda," Lucifer said. Chloe's eyes snapped to his. Something in his face showed he had made some terrible realization, and that he had made it too late.

"Correct," Pierce said. "I'm sure she'll be here any minute. What exactly did she—and Amenadiel, apparently—tell you to try to keep you away? I'm interested. Really." He waved his gun around for a moment; Chloe nearly had a heart attack. Then he immediately pressed the barrel back to Trixie's head.

Lucifer said nothing.

"Ah, doesn't matter. Point is, you figured it out. And if Linda and Maze and your brother all wanted you on the other side of the country to protect you—well, you just couldn't resist ditching them to find out what the big deal was. I have no doubt Chloe called you first when her daughter went missing, told you where they'd be. I'm sure Amenadiel will follow you here. And your friend, the doctor, the one who knows everything. And we'll all be here, together—all in one room—everybody Lucifer loves." He grinned, pushing the gun harder against Trixie's head so she moved forward. "There's no such thing as too much leverage."

Chloe felt tears burning her eyes.

"See, I envy you of one thing, Lucifer. You had the good sense not to love your Father's creation. You never grew attached to these humans, so you never had to watch anyone you loved die. You never had to watch your family grow old without you, and then wonder if it was worth starting a new one so you wouldn't be alone. Knowing they'd eventually die, too, and you could never join them." He turned to settle his gaze at the point where his gun connected with Trixie's skull. "The punishment your Father put on me has run its course. I'm through watching murderers and rapists get absolution and an end to their suffering while I remain cursed. I'm through," he said through clenched teeth. "It's someone else's turn."

Chloe couldn't take anymore. She cleared her throat.

"I don't know what's going on...but please just give me back my daughter. She doesn't deserve this." She put both shaking hands up in front of her to show she didn't have a weapon. "Trixie, baby, look at Mommy."

The girl blinked up at her mother through shining eyes, her lips trembling. Chloe's heart was wrenched in two.

"Yes, Caïn. Give the detective her daughter. This has nothing to do with them," Lucifer said in a voice that was showing strain.

Pierce shook his head.

"Someone hasn't been paying attention."

The elevator doors opened again and Linda and Amenadiel burst into the room. Linda gasped at the sight of a gun to her friend's daughter's head. Her hand flew to her mouth. Amenadiel's eyes went wide.

"You're a little late," Pierce said impatiently. "But I'm flexible."

"Caïn—put the gun down," Amenadiel said slowly, holding up his hand, fingers spread wide. "You don't need to do this. You're tired and frustrated—"

"I don't need you to tell me what I am!" Pierce shouted suddenly. His eyes looked as black as a shark's. Then, just as suddenly as his rage manifested, it was gone. A tight smile stretched his mouth. "I don't want to shoot this girl. I will if I have to, but that's not why she's here."

"Then why—"

"I need Lucifer to reveal who he is to Decker. Now." His finger tightened on the trigger. Chloe's stomach twisted; she saw Maze flinch out of the corner of her eye.

Lucifer finally looked at Chloe.

She met his gaze, her eyes wide and horrified, afraid to say anything.

"I've tried," Lucifer said plainly. "I can't. It doesn't work. I don't know why."

Pierce chuckled.

"I thought you might say as much."

Before anyone else could react, Pierce had wrapped his free arm around Trixie and hauled her over the back of the sofa. Chloe dove for her, but missed her by inches.

Everyone in the room sprang forward as Pierce dragged Trixie toward the balcony, his gun buried in her neck. She screamed for Chloe, tears pouring down her face.

"Trixie!" Chloe cried, trying to run forward, but she was held back by Amenadiel. Lucifer approached cautiously, his lips firmly pressed together. Pierce backed against the rail of the balcony; the lights of Los Angeles glittered down below.

They all crowded into the balcony, giving Pierce a wide berth. Amenadiel was still restraining a wailing Chloe. Maze flanked Lucifer, her hands balled into tight fists. Linda moved to Chloe's side to try to console her, clutching her pale hand in her own.

"Caïn, there are other ways to settle this. You don't want to do this," Lucifer insisted.

"Don't I?" he ground out. "She needs to see what you are. She needs to know."

"Why does it matter!" Lucifer shouted. "What will that change?"

"Everything!" Pierce shot back, his eyes turning dark again.

"I've already told you—I've tried, and I don't have my devil face. And my wings—I can't explain it, but they—"

"You don't seem to be taking this seriously." Pierce said it in a cold, matter-of-fact way that turned Chloe's blood to ice. She stopped fighting against Amenadiel, unable to breathe.

"What? Of course I'm—"

"You just need the right incentive." Pierce nodded to himself. "Desperation creates motivation."

Then several things happened at once.

Pierce stood up straighter, the arm holding Trixie turning her away from the others. The hand holding the gun flashed out—shot into the small group—then the weapon was knocked away by Maze. Chloe lunged for her daughter, but Pierce twisted his torso violently and tossed the girl over the balcony amid her terrified shrieks. Chloe wailed a gut-wrenching, "No!" and started to lean dangerously over the rail when Lucifer's arm threw her back, where she landed hard on her side—and he dove over the edge.

Gunshots rang out—Maze had emptied the gun into Pierce's body. He collapsed to the ground with a sickening thud.

Amid her own cries, Chloe heard Amenadiel calling to Maze in a strange voice. A broken voice.

"What—oh, no."

"Get—I can't—I don't—"

"Amenadiel, you have to stop time. Do it! Do it now!"

"I'm trying. It isn't working. I—"

"She's going to die! Do something!"

"There's—nothing I can—"

"You're USELESS!" Maze shouted. Then, softer: "Linda! Linda? Listen, don't—you can make it if—"

"Stop, Maze. Maze! She's gone."

"No! You're not even trying—"

"She's GONE, Mazikeen!"

Amenadiel's shout seemed to have broken whatever delirium had overtaken Maze, and she was silent. Everything was silent. It was so quiet, Chloe imagined she could hear every piece of her heart crumble to dust.

It had to be a nightmare. It was too bizarre and too awful to be real.

She was sobbing so violently no sound emerged; pain ripped through her chest so sharp she welcomed death. One more moment of life was one moment too many.

Then, a peculiar rustling sound came from somewhere below. Like the wind filling a sail.

With her eyes squeezed shut in agony, she didn't see what caused the whisper of a breeze to move her hair across her face. She heard something connect lightly with the ground in front of her, and then the air was still.

It was quiet for two beats of her heart.

"Mommy!"

Chloe's head snapped up—and there was her daughter. In Lucifer's arms. Alive. Not a scratch on her. Her tear stained face blissfully real.

Lucifer set the girl down and she collapsed into Chloe's arms. She buried her face in her mother's neck as they both sobbed. Chloe clutched her child so tightly Trixie jokingly said, "Mommy, I can't breathe."

Chloe took a ragged breath and looked up—

"Lucifer!"

Brilliant white wings spanned wide behind him. Real wings with absolutely perfect, snowy feathers. Chloe had never seen anything so beautiful in all her life. Those wings had saved her child's life.

Then her eyes found Lucifer's face.

The existence of the wings could only mean he was—

"The Devil. You're really the Devil."

He opened his mouth to speak, but just then, the body of Pierce that had lain forgotten in the chaos, moved. Then it coughed. Then it tried to sit up.

Chloe's eyes grew round with horror. He should've been dead. There was no way he'd survived being shot so many times. No way he should be able to struggle to his feet. Lucifer put himself between Pierce and Chloe, with his back to her.

"Amenadiel," Lucifer said urgently, "take the detective and her child and get them as far away from here as possible."

Pierce's choked laughter caught them all off guard, and everyone froze to watch him fully stand and roll his shoulders as though he'd never taken multiple bullets to the chest. He wiped his hands on his shirt, smearing his own blood across the blue fabric.

He smirked evilly at Lucifer, completely unhinged, taking in the sight of his glorious wings. He glanced casually at Linda's body, which was being cradled by a shocked and silent Maze.

"That's more like it. Now I have your full attention."

-:-


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** This is it! It's been so much fun guys but we've reached the end. After tonight's episode this is no longer canon, but I wanted to finish it anyway. To answer one reviewer, this story will have what I feel is a happy ending—mostly ;) After all, this is fanfiction! But I've tried very hard to keep everyone in character, so some things will end on a bittersweet note. If I get enough interest, I may write an epilogue, though I'm not sure what I'd put in it, ha!

 **A/N2:** SPOILERS FOR S3EP20! DO NOT READ if you haven't seen the most recent episode.

I just want to go on a mini rant for a moment about tonight's show. FIRST OF ALL, no way in Hell have Chloe and Pierce been dating long enough for her to be THAT in love with him. And I understand she's an adult but it is WAY out of character for her to have sex in the evidence locker at work. Remember that flashback when Dan was her HUSBAND and he tried to kiss her on the job and she turned him down because it was unprofessional? Yeah. Secondly, broken Lucifer was so hard to watch—in a good way. Tom Ellis is amazeballs. But I ain't buying broken Pierce. I trust that dude about as far as I can throw him, and seeing as how I have the upper body strength of a double-arm amputee, that isn't far. And that promo for next week? Sheesh. They've been dating at most a couple weeks and he's proposing? I guess that's just my opinion, but has he even formally MET Trixie? What the what?

But anyway, I'm not the writer for this show. They can do whatever they want; I'll just write my alternate universe fanfiction! Bahah! Let me know what you thought of tonight's episode in a review, because I'm interested!

 **END SPOILERS**

Thank you chashkieh, nira07, Daughter of the Equinox, shipwreck321, BeautifullyT6, EreshkigalGirl and my guest reviewer for your comments! I'm especially proud that some of you thought this could actually happen! That means I'm doing something right. Thank you again!

-:-

5.

Lucifer and Pierce stared each other down, assessing what their next moves should be. Chloe hazarded a glance toward the door to the balcony. Maze was being uncharacteristically gentle with Linda's still form. She used two fingers to close her friend's empty eyes, then accepted Amenadiel's help lifting Linda's head and upper body out of her lap. Maze slid out from beneath Linda as Amenadiel carefully lifted her into his arms.

Maze never took her eyes off Linda's face.

Chloe felt like screaming, or sinking into a pit, but she had to keep it together for Trixie. It wasn't safe to feel their grief yet.

"Go, and take the kid with you," Pierce said, eyes still on Lucifer.

Chloe started to get up, holding Trixie's hand. Pierce's gaze shot over to her.

"Not you. Go anywhere, and I'll find you. Both of you. I've got forever." She could tell it was the deadliest of promises. Pierce looked again at Lucifer. "And he knows he can't protect you from me. Or your children, or your grandchildren. Trust me."

Chloe numbly squeezed her daughter's hand, then looked over her shoulder at Amenadiel. She didn't trust herself to speak. Thankfully, he understood.

"Get Trixie," Amenadiel said, his voice thick with emotion. Maze clenched her jaw and took two long steps toward Chloe, reaching out for her daughter.

"Mommy, I don't want to leave you—"

"I know, Monkey. I'll do everything I can to see you again," she said shakily, kissing the top of her daughter's head. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I love you, okay? Always, always, always."

"But why—"

"Maze, please," Chloe said in a broken voice. Maze wrapped her arms around Trixie and pulled her away. Chloe turned her face away from everyone, already knowing her daughter's screams for her would be burned into her memory for however long she had to live. She wiped under her eyes with her thumb, waiting until she heard the elevator doors close and the screaming fade completely away before she turned to look at Lucifer.

"Detective," he began, but seemed to think words were insufficient. His face conveyed all the pain she felt. His hand curled into a fist; Chloe thought he wanted to touch her, but it wasn't the time.

"There's more. Tell her," Pierce demanded. "All of it."

"Well, there's hardly time!" Lucifer said with a loud mocking tone. His wings slowly folded into his body until they were no longer visible. "Where should I start? Oh, yes! 'In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the earth—'"

"I'm getting impatient, Lucifer. If you thought you could save Decker tonight, you'd have already attacked me. You're not sure. And since she makes you vulnerable, you have to be." His eyes glinted dangerously, and he reached behind him into the waist of his jeans and withdrew a black, curved, sinister looking knife. Chloe thought it looked exactly like one she had seen Maze carry before.

Chloe knew Lucifer well enough to tell from the cautious tilt of his chin that he had respect for the weapon.

"Lucifer, just tell me what he wants me to know," she said softly. It felt odd to say his name. It meant something so different now.

Lucifer's nostrils flared.

"He wants to turn you against me."

"Wrong again," Pierce said amusedly. "It's becoming a pattern with you."

Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

"Very well." He hesitantly turned away, only looking at Chloe when he felt sure Pierce was staying put. When he finally met her gaze, his expression turned into one of worry and regret. Chloe reached out and took one of his hands in both of hers.

Chloe tried to keep her face blank to hide how her mind was racing. In the back of her scattered thoughts, she noticed ominously dark clouds had formed overhead.

This was either a dream and wouldn't matter, come morning—or she was holding the hand of the Devil in an attempt to comfort him. Should she be doing that? What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she bring herself to let go?

"My Father, he's—well, God." Lucifer grimaced. "God is real, Heaven and hell are real, angels and demons are real, I'm—"

"Real." Chloe finished breathlessly.

Lucifer paused. She caught him glance at her lips. He nodded.

"You know the story. I rebelled and was cast out into Hell. I've been there since the beginning of time. I...grew weary of torturing the souls of the damned..." he trailed off, gauging her reaction. She squeezed his hand. He cleared his throat. "So I left. I came to Los Angeles. I've been here, looking for a way to get back at my Father, and trying to find some kind of meaning. And then, there you were."

Chloe's heart thundered in her chest. It was amazing she wasn't dead after all her heart had endured this night. Lucifer blinked, choosing his next words delicately. By nature, he didn't lie, but he also wasn't prepared to tell her of the depth of his feelings.

"I was...happy. For the first time in my existence. But I discovered that my Father created you, and—forgive me. He created you for the sole purpose of my happiness." His eyes darted all over her face, searching for any sign she was disgusted by his confession.

Chloe took a slow, deep breath.

"What do you mean?"

"Your parents couldn't have children. He sent my brother—Amenadiel—to place a blessing on them. Then, you were born. Of course He knew I would eventually leave Hell and come here. Everything that's happened in our lives has been preordained." He looked down at their hands, his brow furrowing. His voice took on a bitter tone. "We aren't in control of our own destinies. All that bloody talk about free will, and God already knows every choice we'll ever make."

"Is that why...every time we..." Chloe's throat constricted, and she blinked back tears. She felt sick and demented that she was sad over not having a romantic relationship with the Devil. According to him, God had put that desire into her. It wasn't even her own feeling.

Lucifer nodded.

"I couldn't do that to you, Detective. I wanted to give you the choice my Father didn't want you to have. You deserve to live a normal life, not one tethered to evil incarnate."

Chloe looked for any sign he was joking, but there was none.

Light rain began to fall, making what would normally have been a peaceful pattering noise on the balcony floor.

She leaned forward, looking up to gaze into his downcast eyes. She started to speak—then made sure she really wanted to say what she was planning to say—and sighed.

"But I'm in love with you, Lucifer." His eyes immediately found hers. "Real or not...I don't believe I could fall in love with someone who was truly evil. And, if it's true that God planned all this...He must know you aren't evil. Evil people don't feel love, or happiness. Why would He think you could feel that way about me if He saw you that way?"

Lucifer's eyes grew wide and she saw a flash of hope in them.

"That doesn't change the fact that our feelings have been engineered. Without His interference, they wouldn't exist. You wouldn't exist," he said sadly.

Chloe swallowed.

"But...I'm here. I'm real. You're...real. I know who you are, and unless my memories of you aren't real, then falling in love with you wasn't forced on me. I...love you as you are."

As she said it, she realized she meant it. So she was probably insane, but it was the truth. Her face burned even though cold raindrops were sliding down her face.

Lucifer sighed sadly.

"I know you think—"

"That's your problem," she cut across him. "You think you know what everyone thinks. But that's God's job. Unless you're telling me you can read minds."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

"No. But I need only ask a human what they desire and they are compelled to tell me. Except for you."

"I don't need to be compelled. I'll tell you exactly what I desire most." Her eyes were shining with honesty.

Lucifer's mouth pressed into a firm line and he pulled slightly away.

"Let me guess. It's me, isn't—"

"I want Trixie to be happy. I want her to grow up and feel loved and safe. I want her to have everything she wants in her life."

Lucifer paused. Clearly he hadn't been expecting her answer.

She sighed.

"If God only created me for your happiness, then why aren't you my only desire? And do you think God thought you needed a divorced cop with a daughter? Dan and Trixie were my choices. Maybe God knew what I'd choose ahead of time, but he didn't make those choices for me."

She desperately wanted to convince him it wasn't all smoke and mirrors. But she didn't know what else to say. Lucifer would have to do the rest.

He started to speak, but then slow clapping interrupted him. They turned to look at Pierce, smirking and mock-applauding them. They stepped away from each other, both having almost forgotten he was there.

"Very nice. That wasn't so hard, was it? Kind of curious you couldn't show her your wings until you had to save her daughter, huh?" Pierce grinned, looking up at the Heavens, pointing upward with the blade in his hand. "I think someone's definitely got His eye on you. At this very moment, too. Rain's a nice dramatic touch."

"Is that why you've done all this?" Lucifer demanded, a light dawning on his face. "To get His attention?"

"Isn't that why you do anything, Lucifer? To get Daddy to notice you?" he said icily.

"He won't revoke the curse, Caïn. My Father—"

"It's like you said. He's got his plan for me. He's got plans for you two." Pierce twirled the dagger in his hand, stepping forward. Chloe stepped back, eyes searching for something she could use as a weapon. Lucifer moved between her and Pierce. "Now He has to decide which plan matters more to Him. Which one do you think He'll choose?" He grinned. "If He lets me die, great. If I get to kill you...that's almost as good."

He suddenly lunged forward, the blade striking in Lucifer's direction. He tried to back up, but he collided with Chloe; the demon blade sliced at his forearm, drawing blood.

Chloe staggered back inside the apartment, slipping on her wet sneakers, rolling her ankle and clumsily sprinting toward the fireplace to grab a poker.

Lucifer barely sidestepped another swipe. Chloe's presence was hindering his reflexes.

"Detective!" He shouted, ducking again as Pierce struck. "I need you to leave! You're making me vulnerable!"

"What?" Chloe said, already on her way back to him. He automatically glanced her direction as she returned, and it was a mistake.

Pierce sank the wicked blade into the right side of Lucifer's chest, near his shoulder. Lucifer shouted in pain; Pierce ripped the knife out of his flesh and stepped back, watching the blood seep into the collar of his enemy's white shirt.

"Lucifer!" Chloe gasped, watching his pained expression dissolve into shock.

Pierce started forward again and Chloe barreled forward, swinging the poker as viciously as she could at center mass.

He reached out and caught it before it could do any damage and chuckled.

"You can do better than that, Decker." He shoved the poker back toward her, the blunt end of it hitting her in the chest and knocking her on her back. The poker clattered to the ground beside her as she pressed one hand to her bruised sternum. She rolled onto her side to try to push herself up to stand.

"Detective, please go—"

"I can't leave you," she rasped out, finally climbing to her feet. She reached down to grasp the poker gain.

Piece just watched her with amusement in his eyes. Lucifer was struggling to his feet as well, his clothes now mostly drenched in blood.

"This is more fun than I thought it would be," Pierce said.

Chloe shook her head.

"Why did you even bother trying to get me to care about you?" she demanded, casting a worried glance toward Lucifer. "What was the point?"

"Because, Decker," Pierce said, twirling the knife, "I needed to know how important Lucifer is to you. Would you kill for him? To save him from a crazy stranger with a knife, sure. But would you kill someone else you cared about for him?" He stepped closer, taunting her. "For what it's worth, I liked you. Nothing earth-shattering, no offense. I don't get Lucifer's obsession. But I'm genuinely fond of you."

He lunged toward her; she jumped back and caused him to miss.

"Detective!" Lucifer threw his arm between them; Pierce struck again. This time, the blade left a long horizontal cut on Lucifer's abdomen. He grunted and looked down as his hand flew to the new wound.

Chloe froze. Something in the air shifted. She stepped around Lucifer.

His face was gone.

It had been replaced by the most shocking thing she had ever seen, wings included.

The skin was scarred and shiny like a burn victim's, but it was a gory red color, giving the illusion that he was bleeding. There was no hair on his head, and harsh creases everywhere. But the most disconcerting thing was his eyes.

Flame red irises, piercing black pupils. The eyes of the Devil.

Without realizing it, Chloe took a step back and put her arm up to shield herself, gaping. The wings confirmed to her that Lucifer was telling the truth; he wasn't human, and she'd thought she had accepted he was the Devil. But the eyes. The eyes made it impossible to deny. He wasn't an angel. He wasn't 'good.'

Blood still poured from the wounds Pierce had given him, but he took his hands away to slowly touch his own face. For a moment he looked relieved. Then he realized he was in the company of a mortal.

He turned his head to look directly at her, his hands dropping to his sides. He looked truly gruesome, with a scarred, blood red face and bleeding wounds. Chloe recoiled as he reached out one hand toward her.

"Chloe," he said, in a gentle whisper that didn't match his face.

Chloe took another step back. She dropped the poker.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'd never hurt you. You know that," he said softly. Like he was speaking to a wounded animal. "Don't look at me like that—"

He took a step forward, and Chloe moved away so forcefully she lost her balance and nearly fell. Lucifer dropped his hand.

Pierce laughed maliciously.

"Well, you definitely know how to render a woman speechless."

Lucifer ignored him. His hellish eyes bore into Chloe's, waiting.

She couldn't breathe, much less think. It was embarrassingly human of her, but all she could do was recall old Bible stories and marvel at how clueless she had been. The Devil and God and Heaven and Hell. All real. It was sinking in, and she couldn't focus on anything but the sheer magnitude of the truth.

And—her cheeks grew hot—she had kissed him. Lucifer. The actual ruler of Hell.

It was such a stupid thing to think about, but there it was in her head. She had kissed him, and she had liked it.

Of course, Lucifer had no way of knowing she was mentally incapacitated by thoughts of his kisses. He only imagined she was terrified of him.

Pierce made a bored noise.

"Alright, well, I've technically got all of eternity, but let's hurry this up—" He stepped forward and struck at the same time—plunging the knife into Lucifer's back. He let out an anguished yell through bared teeth, spinning to face Pierce. Lucifer's hand shot out and gripped Pierce by the throat. He lifted him off the ground, nostrils flaring. The knife remained lodged in his back.

"Lucifer," Chloe said quietly. "Don't."

The Devil still held his enemy aloft, though he lowered him an inch.

"He won't stop, Detective," Lucifer growled. "He will never leave you or I in peace. He will make it his mission to destroy us. I have to find a way to end this."

Chloe didn't like how ominous that sounded.

"But...how? He...he can't die," she faltered. But she could. Trixie could. And she realized Lucifer was right about how screwed they were.

Pierce gazed mockingly into Lucifer's eyes.

"He's right. There's really only one thing for you to do." He cut his eyes to Chloe.

"Me?" she gasped. "What can I do?"

"Lucifer was wrong again," he said, struggling to breathe as the fingers around his throat squeezed harder. "You weren't put here to save him. You were put here to kill me."

"No," Lucifer seethed.

"It's true," Pierce wheezed. "You know it's true. It all makes sense."

In a rage, Lucifer slammed Pierce's body into the floor of the balcony, cracking it;he knelt over him, still squeezing his neck. Pierce reached behind Lucifer and viciously tore the knife from his back, causing even more blood to trickle to the ground. Lucifer released a strangled howl.

"Stop!" Chloe cried. "Please!"

Pierce went to stab Lucifer again, but he was weakened from lack of oxygen. Lucifer knocked it away, where it skittered across the ground to Chloe's left. His free hand joined his other one around Pierce's throat.

"Guilt or no guilt, I'll take you to Hell myself."

"Be my guest," Pierce spat. "You'll spend the rest of eternity fighting to keep me there."

"Where's the downside?" Lucifer laughed darkly.

"You'll never see Decker again."

The words were small enough, but the second of hesitation was all Pierce needed. He lifted his arms up and rammed them down on top of Lucifer's, breaking his hold. Pierce kicked him forcefully in the chest; Lucifer staggered backward.

"How long before you bleed out, anyway? Those demon blades don't live up to the hype."

"Ah, tsk tsk, Caïn," Lucifer snarled. "Give a man immortality and he thinks he knows everything."

But Lucifer was moving more slowly, and there was a slight tremble in his hands. The demon blades wouldn't kill him under normal circumstances; he was the exception to the rule. However, with the detective so close...

Chloe noticed Lucifer's difficulty at the same time Pierce did. He sneered.

"You can end all this, Decker," he said. "You can still save him. He can return to Hell whenever he wants, but if he dies..." Pierce cocked his head at Lucifer. "I wonder what kind of personal Hell awaits you. I'd love to be a fly on that wall."

He moved toward Lucifer and threw a fist toward his face; Lucifer caught it, but wasn't fast enough to dodge Pierce's next strike. Blood sprayed through his gritted teeth as a fist collided with his cheek. He fell to his knees and hung his head.

Chloe saw an alarming amount of blood pooling at his knees. It swirled and blossomed into the water that had begun to collect on the ground.

Pierce stepped around Lucifer to stand behind him and jerked his head back with one hand. Lucifer, kneeling before him and out of breath, turned to look at Chloe for what he thought might be the last time.

Pierce fixed Lucifer's head tightly between his arms, braced to snap his neck.

Chloe knew he would kill him. It wasn't some kind of test. If she did nothing, Lucifer was going to die. There was no more time for contemplation.

She ran forward, stooping to snatch up the black dagger. In another second, she had the curve of the blade at Pierce's neck, pressing just hard enough to indent his flesh.

But that was what he wanted, so he smiled.

"Go ahead, Decker. You know you want to." He still held Lucifer's head between his arms.

"No! Detective, if you do this, the guilt will condemn you to Hell—"

"And you think I won't feel guilty if I let him kill you?" she said through clenched teeth.

"He's manipulating you—"

"I know what he's doing—"

"Don't do this, Detective—"

Pierce made a sudden movement; Chloe didn't know what he was about to do, but she reacted as though he'd been about to twist Lucifer's neck. She couldn't take the chance.

When she pulled her hand holding the blade away, Pierce froze. It seemed an eternity passed. His grip on Lucifer slackened. Then, from left to right, a thin ribbon of blood appeared on his throat. Then dark red blood began to ooze from his wound, soaking the collar of his shirt in seconds.

Lucifer sensed something had happened when Pierce's grip loosened.

"No!" he bellowed, wrenching himself away and falling on his side, twisted so he could look behind him. The rain stopped suddenly. There was an eerie silence. The humidity in the air ramped up the coppery smell of blood.

Hope, a strange look on a dying man, shined briefly in Pierce's eyes.

Then they dimmed. He fell hard to his knees. He collapsed in a puddle of rain that immediately took on a rusty hue from the blood pouring from his neck.

Lucifer glared at the corpse, his teeth bared. Uncontrollable rage overtook him, giving him the strength to stagger to his feet. He reached down to Pierce's body and wrenched his left arm up, ripping up the sleeve. The unmarked skin only enraged him further. Pierce's mark was gone. He was free.

Chloe let the dagger fall to the ground at her feet. She had a feeling they wouldn't need to use it again. The sound caused Lucifer's head to snap up.

In that moment, his face returned to the one Chloe knew. Pointed chin, chiseled cheekbones, laugh lines and dark hair. His eyes still seemed to scorch through her, though they were no longer red.

Lucifer dropped Pierce's arm, which landed with a disgusting wet thud. He stepped over the body. His eyes bore into Chloe's. He reached out tentatively, offering his hands.

She took them automatically. He looked at her for a long moment, summing up her face.

"Detective...I've failed you." His brows knit together. "I—I can't—"

Chloe put one hand up to his mouth but didn't touch his lips.

"Lucifer...we all feel guilty about something. I've had to take lives before to save an innocent person. I remember every single one," she said breathlessly. "But they don't haunt me nearly as much as the ones I couldn't save."

She stepped closer. He looked at her lips for a fraction of a second.

"It should never have come to this. And Linda—"

"I know," Chloe sighed heavily. "But Linda loved you, too. She would do it all over again. That's what family is."

He didn't look convinced. So she wrapped her arms around his neck. He hesitated a moment, then buried his face in her shoulder.

They stood there like that until Chloe realized she was getting Lucifer's blood on her sleeves.

"Oh my God! We have to get you to a hospital!" she gasped, moving to wrap a supportive arm around his shoulders. He shrugged her off.

"No need," he grunted. "As soon as you're out of the building, I'll start to heal. Be right as rain. Go and see your daughter. Make sure she's okay."

He squeezed her hand and then released it, walking with as much dignity as he could muster back inside to his sofa. Chloe followed closely, choosing not to ask too many questions. There was a lot to absorb already.

Lucifer fell heavily onto the couch and exhaled loudly.

"Thank you for rescuing me," he chuckled. "It was a nice change of pace, I suppose."

Chloe gave him a half-smile.

"I'll...I'll come back later, okay? I have to figure out how to explain all this without... _explaining_ all this."

Lucifer closed his eyes and nodded. He crossed his hands over his chest.

"I've always found the truth to be the best course."

Chloe realized then that Lucifer actually hadn't ever lied to her. Ever. All along he had told her exactly who he was, despite knowing she didn't believe him. Believing he was crazy was the one thing that had made her distance herself from him.

But he wasn't crazy. He was only the Devil.

She knelt down and placed one hand on top of his, and pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth.

His eyes opened as she pulled away. He said nothing, only watched her.

She squeezed his hand and smiled.

Then she left.

-:-

 _Two months later..._

Chloe kissed the top of Trixie's head, then smoothed her hair down.

"Have you got your lunch?"

"Yep. Right here!" Trixie grabbed her purple lunch bag off the counter. Chloe leaned down and hugged her.

"Okay. Listen, don't give your dad and Charlotte a hard time. She's his first serious girlfriend since—"

"I'll be good, Mommy. I'll see you Wednesday." She returned the hug and headed for the door. Dan was waiting in the doorway, smiling at them both.

"Ready to go, baby?" He said, putting a hand on her shoulder when she neared him. Trixie nodded vigorously.

"I can't believe Charlotte is going camping for an entire weekend," Chloe shook her head. "You're a brave man, Dan."

"I have to be," he chuckled. "I have a daughter."

Chloe laughed.

"Exactly."

When the door closed behind them, Chloe leaned against the counter, wondering what she should do with herself. She had an hour before she had to be at work.

Deciding to make a cup of coffee, she opened the cabinet to get down a mug. Then there was a knock at the door.

She closed the cabinet back and walked to the door, twisting the knob.

"Did you forget someth—"

Lucifer stepped inside and immediately pressed his lips against hers, stopping her words. Chloe smiled against his mouth.

He broke away, then stepped around her into her home without waiting for an invitation.

"Why, yes. I seem to have left my dildo somewhere. I checked at Dan's but while he did have an impressive collection of his own, mine was not among them." Lucifer made himself comfortable on a barstool.

Chloe closed the door and rolled her eyes.

"No dildos here."

"How boring," he pouted. "I expected more from you, Detective."

"Well, it's hard to top wings," she joked. crossed her arms over herself and meandered over to him shyly. "What brings you here so early this morning?" Chloe stepped between his knees.

Lucifer gave her a crooked smile. He plucked an apple from the wire fruit basket on the counter.

"You." He offered her the apple with a devilish grin.

"Oh no," Chloe said, putting her hands up. "I've heard this story and it didn't end well."

Lucifer laughed deeply. It was a melodic, truly happy sound.

"Eh. Eve was a right twat," he shrugged, and took a bite of the apple. "But just so you know, it wasn't an apple. It was a pomegranate."

Chloe's eyebrows shot up.

"Really?"

"Yes. And I didn't appear to her as a snake, either. I was a tall, dark and handsome fellow much like the one you see before you. It's why she couldn't resist." He took another bite of the apple.

Chloe gave him a stern look, trying not to laugh, and took the apple away. She placed it on the counter.

"Have you found her?"

Lucifer's face turned serious as he chewed.

"Not yet. But she'll turn up one day. She's never lost anyone before."

Chloe nodded.

"It's so strange—I had no idea she'd fallen out with Linda. She never told me."

"Well, that's Maze for you. But when she's ready, she'll let me know where she is. I do have good news though." He stood up, wiping his hands on his black pants. "Amenadiel returned last night. He's been upstairs to see Linda."

"God must be a hopeless romantic," Chloe sighed, "to give him back his wings so he could see her."

Lucifer ignored the comment.

"He says she's thoroughly enjoying her philosophical discussions with her great-great-great-great-grandparents. All the people in Heaven and the first ones humans seek out is their boring old relatives." He rolled his eyes in disapproval.

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her.

"We're a little bit sentimental," she whispered, her breath ghosting across his lips. She traced them with her thumb.

"Of course you are," he said, closing the distance between them.

Their lips met in a scorching kiss. Chloe's fingers played with the hair at the back of Lucifer's neck.

When she pulled away, Lucifer chuckled at some private joke.

"What?" Chloe demanded. He shook his head, squeezing her tighter. "Seriously, what!? I have morning breath, don't I? I did brush my teeth—"

"No, calm down woman! I was just thinking you're really an exceptional kisser." He playfully tugged on her hair.

"Why do you sound surprised?"

"I'm not. It's just funny."

"Why is it funny?" She asked, smiling despite him making fun of her.

His eyes softened as he looked at her. He ran his hands up and down her arms and regarded her warmly.

"Because everything about you has been exceptional." He shrugged. "But then, my Father made sure of that."

Chloe grinned broadly. She leaned into his chest, their lips an inch apart.

"Hmm. Chloe Decker: an exceptional human." She kissed him. "Can I get that on a t-shirt?"

"Keep doing that and you can have whatever you want."

Chloe hummed against his lips.

"I want you to stop talking now."

"Yes. Right away, Detective."

-:-

END


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